


So I Watch From the Dark

by MoonytheMarauder1



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Adorable Soulmate Snakes, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awkwardness, Bad Pick-Up Lines, Insecure Albus Potter, Insecurity, Love Confessions, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, Slytherin Scorpius Malfoy, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:35:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23740897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonytheMarauder1/pseuds/MoonytheMarauder1
Summary: Albus never expected his soulmate to be his best friend. This should be good news, but old insecurities kept him from coming clean to Scorpius.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 5
Kudos: 193





	So I Watch From the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, y'all! I wrote this very quickly, as a gift for the wonderful Shay. :) AlbusScorpius soulmate hurt/comfort... what could be better?

Albus took a deep breath. Nothing had changed—not  _ really _ . He could go to breakfast, sit beside Scorpius like usual, and talk to him like nothing was different. Because  _ nothing had changed. _

Except everything had, because he knew now that Scorpius was his soulmate. And he didn’t know what step to take next. 

Albus looked down at the little grass snake sitting in the palm of his hand. It had appeared last night the second he turned sixteen, and because he knew Scorpius’ animal companion was identical to his own, he knew exactly who the universe had chosen as his soulmate. 

Albus bit his lip as he considered his options. He could go down to the Great Hall and pretend that he still had no idea who his match was, or he could come clean to his friend and hope that Scorpius felt the same way he did. Neither option was appealing. 

Squeezing his green eyes shut, Albus took a deep breath. One thing was for certain: he couldn’t just hide in his dorm while Scorpius was waiting for him. He quickly shrugged on a shirt and dropped the little snake into his breast pocket, glad that these soulmate animals were so easy to hide. He grabbed his silver and green tie and slung it around his neck before deftly tying the knot. 

After placing his books in his bag, Albus walked towards the door, only hesitating for a moment before twisting the doorknob. 

  
  


“There you are!” Scorpius’ smile seemed to take up his entire face, like joy was the only emotion he had room for. Albus’ chest tightened at the sight. “I thought you weren’t going to come down for a minute.” He handed Albus a plate with eggs and bacon as the black-haired boy sat down. 

“Oh, I just lost track of time.” Albus scratched the back of his neck anxiously. “Thinking, you know.”

“About your soulmate?” Scorpius guessed. “It came last night—happy birthday, by the way—didn’t it? Do you know who has the matching creature?”

Albus’ eyes were drawn to the tiny snake asleep on the other boy’s shoulder. There really was no mistaking it; they were a match. For a moment, Albus considered just coming out with it.

_ Yeah, you, _ he would say.  _ We’re each other’s soulmate. Isn’t that wild? _

And Scorpius’ grey eyes would widen with surprise before they crinkled at the corners as he grinned.  _ Wizzo! _

Or, that grin could fall and a superficial smile would take its place. 

“No,” he lied. “I don’t have any idea.”

His little snake squirmed in his pocket, as though to protest, but Albus held his tongue. 

“Oh. That’s too bad.” Scorpius frowned for a moment, then brightened once more. “More eggs?” he asked, already reaching for the platter. 

Albus swallowed the sour taste in his mouth. “Please.”

  
  


That night, Albus sat on his bed with the curtains drawn, letting the little snake twist angrily around his fingers. It had nipped his thumb in reprimand earlier in the day, which only increased Albus’ guilt about lying to his friend. Scorpius deserved the truth. 

Still, Albus lacked the courage to give it. With a heavy sigh, he fell back against his pillows and stared listlessly up at the ceiling. On the other side of the room, Scorpius was snoring softly, the sound filling the dorm. The two other boys they shared the room with cast Silencing Charms every night to block the noise, but Albus found the sound comforting.

The little snake hissed, its pink tongue brushing against the pad of Albus’ thumb. He glanced down at it. “I know,” he whispered. “I know.”

This shouldn’t be so difficult. They were a soulmate match, and it wasn’t like Albus didn’t have romantic feelings for the other boy—it should be easy to confess his love. The universe was practically guaranteeing that his love was requited. 

But all the black-haired boy could think was that he always came up short. He was always  _ inadequate _ . The one thing he hadn’t failed at was being Scorpius’ friend… and he didn’t want to risk changing their dynamic now.

He clapped a hand over his eyes and groaned. Maybe he needed to sleep. His decision might be easier in the morning. 

“Albus? Are you okay?”

Albus rocketed into a sitting position, stuffing the hand with the snake wrapped around it under his pillow. “Oh. Er. Yes, I’m fine.”

Scorpius lifted a brow. “Right,” he said slowly. “Except it’s midnight, and you’re still awake.”

He could have retorted that that wasn’t unusual for someone with their workload, but Scorpius knew very well that Albus preferred to go to sleep early and wake up early. He closed his mouth and swallowed. “Soulmate,” he said hoarsely. “Just… wondering about it.”

Without an invitation, the blond climbed onto the mattress and closed the curtains; Albus didn’t stop him. A small sliver of moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, casting half of Scorpius’ face in a soft glow. He looked nervous, Albus thought. He looked very nervous. 

“You can take your hand out of the pillow,” Scorpius finally muttered. “I’ve… I’ve already, you know. Seen it.”

This was news to Albus, who gaped at the other boy. “You—you what?”

“I’ve seen it.” Scorpius flushed, and he twisted his fingers in his lap nervously. “In Charms. It poked its head out of your pocket.”

Albus closed his eyes. Of course it did.  _ Of course it did. _ Scorpius was waiting for some sort of response, but Albus could hardly breathe, much less talk. After a minute of silence passed, Scorpius spoke again. 

“A knut for your thoughts?”

Albus tried to respond, but then he closed his mouth and shook his head. He drew his legs to his chest and pressed his forehead against his knees. It was a position Scorpius knew well; Albus curled into it whenever things became too overwhelming. 

He felt the mattress shift, and his heart plummeted. Scorpius was leaving. He was leaving, and things  _ were _ going to change—and Albus was too much of a coward to do anything to stop him. 

But then there was a hand on his shoulder, and the mattress dipped beside him. He heard Scorpius clear his throat. “So… I’m going to try something. Tell me if it’s too much.” 

There was a pause, and then Scorpius said, “Are you French? Because Eiffel for you.”

Albus’ brows furrowed in confusion. He lifted his head. “Wait. Are you—are you flirting with me?”

Scorpius let out a dejected sigh. “I have been for the past year.”

“Oh.” Albus bit his lip overcome with the sudden urge to grin—because how ridiculous was this? The same boy he’d been in love with for what felt like forever had been flirting with him, and he hadn’t even realized. 

Though, to be fair, Albus was fairly sure that Scorpius hadn’t used such an obvious pick-up line on him before. 

Even in the dim light, Scorpius caught the expression on his face. “Well, it’s not  _ funny! _ ” he protested, and maybe it was all the emotional stress of the past twenty-four hours, but Albus burst out laughing. 

“I’m sorry,” he gasped out, “I’m sorry. I just—Merlin, we were stupid.” His bout of laughter subsided, and his green eyes fixed on Scorpius’. “We didn’t even realize that we liked each other.”

“That we— _ oh. _ So, you’re not, erm… disappointed, then?”

Feeling suddenly brave, Albus leaned into Scorpius’ touch. “No. And I’m sorry for acting strangely all day,” he added, regret coloring his tone. 

The other boy snorted. “It’s all right. I know you, Albus; sometimes you get strange.”

“Hey.” He shoved the Malfoy heir’s shoulder. “Not as strange as you, I reckon.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, then, and Albus was left with only one question: What now? 

Luckily, Scorpius answered that for him. “Well, it’s late. I should get back in bed, and  _ you _ should go to sleep.” He gave Albus one last squeeze and hopped off the mattress, but he didn’t leave until he’d surprised Albus with a quick kiss on the cheek. Stunned, Albus sat there for a moment, a hand cradling his face. Then Scorpius stuck his head back through the gap in the curtains. 

“Er… we’re dating now, aren’t we?”

This time, Albus couldn’t contain the grin blossoming across his features. “I’d like that,” he said quietly.

Scorpius let loose a wide grin of his own. “ _ Wizzo _ .”

  
  



End file.
